Jharkhand: Two get 20-year jail term for gang raping a female constable four years ago

The crime had hit the national headlines and the Jharkhand police had come under scathing criticism following the incident

indiaUpdated: Nov 29, 2017 16:52 IST

Vishal Sharma

Hindustan Times, Latehar

A local court in Jharkhand sentences two youths to 20-year of rigorous imprisonment for gang raping a female police constable in 2013 (Representative image )

A local court in Jharkhand sentenced two youths to 20-year of rigorous imprisonment, holding them guilty of gang raping a female constable four years ago.

Besides gang raping the woman constable, the convicted duo--Matik Oraon and Katua Oraon--and three others were also involved in looting cash, valuables and mobiles from the victim, her relatives and other passengers crossing through the national highway 75 in August 2013.

The Jharkhand police constable was travelling in an ambulance with her relatives on the intervening night of August 21 and 22, when a group of robbers waylaid them near Jagaldaga under the Chandwa police station area. They had forcibly taken the victim behind the bushes and took turn to rape her before fleeing the spot.

The victim, a widow of a slain district armed police jawan who lost life in a Maoist attack in 2011, had just completed her police training after being appointed as constable on compassionate grounds when the incident happened.

The crime had hit the national headlines and the Jharkhand police had come under scathing criticism following the incident, compelling the then director general of police to visit the crime scene.

On Tuesday, the court of Latehar principal district and sessions judge Vishnukant Sahay also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 each to the duo, besides granting them 20-year jail term.

The court, however, found two of their accomplices Heeralal Oraon and Mukesh Oraon guilty of only committing the robbery. The court awarded them 10-year imprisonment under section 395 and 7-year rigorous imprisonment under section 397, besides imposing a penalty of Rs 5,000 each.

A minor, who was also involved in robbery, is being tried separately at a local juvenile court. All the accused hail from Jobia Tola under Latehar police station area.

“The police had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising officials from police, forensic and intelligence sleuths to crack the case at the earliest. The SIT had arrested the accused within two days of the incident and collected vital forensic evidences from the spot,” a senior district police official said.